Iran: No Clause in MoU Allows for Creation of Parallel Route Through Strait of Hormuz
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmail Baqaei stated that there is no paragraph in the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that allows the United States to establish an independent parallel route in the Strait of Hormuz.
The US "cheated" on its commitments under the Islamabad MoU, Baqaei said in an interview with social media activist Sulaiman Ahmed published on Saturday."What they [the US] carried out was a violation of their commitments. They forced ships to use an alternative route, effectively bypassing the route coordinated with Iran—which was the safe passage,” he added.“This is while we had taken all necessary measures to ensure the safe transit of vessels," he continued.The spokesperson emphasized that no country can be expected to fulfill its commitments unilaterally, and that Iran has not revoked the MoU despite repeated US violations."We have never started violating it," he said, adding that the United States had breached its commitments under the Islamabad MoU.
It comes amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington over the Strait of Hormuz, with the United States striking Iran, and Tehran responding with attacks on American military bases across the region. Tehran has warned that regional oil and gas exports could be blocked completely in response to US bids to control the Strait of Hormuz.Iran accused the US of acting like “pirates” by restricting energy flows in the region and warned that other export routes serving the US and its allies could be blocked in response, cautioning, “Regional oil and gas exports are either for everyone or for no one."
Baqaei argued that since Washington failed to uphold its obligations, Tehran will no longer fulfill its commitments either “because this is a reciprocal action".According to Baqaei, Paragraph 5 of the memorandum, which focuses on the Strait of Hormuz, very clearly states that Iran would develop mechanisms for the future management of the strategic waterway in consultation with Oman and through discussions with other regional countries.He noted that Tehran had already been engaged in such a process even before the MoU was signed.Baqaei explained that the MoU envisioned a 30-day period to ensure shipping traffic would return to normal and establish mechanisms for the safe passage of vessels.However, he stated, the United States launched military action against Iran only 21 or 22 days after the signing of the MoU, preventing the process from being completed within the agreed 30 days.He pointed out that the Strait of Hormuz has only two coastal states, Iran and Oman.
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